Montessori+Method

What is the Montssori Method?


 * Child-centered, alternative educational method
 * Based on child development theories originated by Italian educator Maria Montessori (1870–1952)
 * Each child has right to be active, to explore his environment and develop his own inner resources through every form of investigation and creative effort
 * Emphasises self-directed activity, on the part of the child, and observation, on the part of the teacher
 * Education is to guide activity, not repress it
 * To stress the importance of adapting the child’s learning environment to his or her development level, and the role of physical activity in the child’s absorbing abstract concepts and learning practical skills
 * Teacher's task is first to nourish and assist, to watch, encourage, guide, induce, rather than to interfere or restrict
 * Montessori pupils do as they please, so long as they do not do any harm
 * Left to explore on their own
 * Learn things in sort of a “trial and error” method
 * Learn how to pick themselves up from failures
 * To relentlessly strive towards success
 * Aims to equip child with basic knowledge of their lives and their environment as well as basic lifeskills (e.g. Washing dishes, using utensils etc.) to prepare them for the life ahead
 * Focuses more on individual ability rather than on as a whole as a class (e.g. a whole class learns the same curriculum etc, but Montessori students move on themselves in their own “curriculum”)

Their education is built around 6 subjects.

1) Practical Life

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 * Designed to help students develop a care for themselves, the environment, and each other
 * In primary years (3–6), children learn how to do things such as - pouring and scooping, using kitchen utensils, washing dishes, polishing objects, scrubbing tables, cleaning-up, dressing themselves, tying their shoes, washing their hands and other self-care practices
 * They are free to explore such objects and how to use them so as not to restrict their creative ability

2) Sensorial


 * All learning first comes through the senses
 * Isolating something that is being taught allows the child to focus more easily on it
 * There are many different Montessori sensorial materials designed to help the child refine the tactile(touch), visual(sight), auditory(hearing), olfactory(smell), and gustatory(taste) senses
 * Eg. Colors are taught with color tablets

3) Cultural

4) Science
 * Includes studies of the world and other cultures
 * Montessori children achieve early understanding of the concepts of continents, countries, states and the names of many countries of the world
 * The goal is acquiring an understanding of the world’s different cultures
 * Promotes racial sensitivity at a young age


 * The Montessori method makes use of their inquisitiveness to probe them to ask more questions and to stimulate their creative flow, rather than just providing them answers without them asking anything

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5) Mathematics

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 * Children go from a concrete understanding of mathematics to an abstract understanding of mathematics via mathematical concepts
 * Eg. Telling the difference between 1, 10, 100, and 1000, because they have felt it many times. The concepts of squares and cubes become concrete in their use of the Montessori Bead Cabinet
 * Eg. The pink tower. It has 10 pink cubes. The smallest cube is 1 cubic centimeter and the largest cube is 10 cubic centimeters

6) Language


 * The language curriculum includes everything — from vocabulary development to writing to reading
 * Children learn basic letter-sounds through the use of sandpaper letters; the letters are cut from sandpaper and glued to a wooden board

How is it Different from other Forms of Education?

Cons
 * The child is free to choice those materials or "jobs" he or she wishes and is ready for
 * Classes are not set up by age or ability
 * The child is free to move about the classroom
 * Montessori materials develop the child's ability to use all their senses
 * Montessori curriculum teaches concepts using concrete materials. It includes math, language, geography, botany, and science
 * Montessori materials are self-correcting
 * Children are not interrupted by teachers in the classroom
 * Montessori materials are organized in a sequence
 * Montessori emphasizes cooperation rather then competition
 * Montessori children teach each other
 * A child may choose to work with a job as long as he or she likes
 * Montessori materials provide opportunities for learning a variety of concepts in a single task or job

- it is not practical in Singapore because of Singapore’s fast paced society where almost everything is based on education
 * Not readily available to people because it is very expensive
 * Very slow and time consuming